BE35S PLT HAS ENG FAILURE; MAKES EMER LNDG ON A FREEWAY. NO DAMAGE TO ACFT OR PLT.

Narrative

I WAS ENRTE FROM SAF TO E80; TO PICK UP A COMPANY PLT; CRUISING AT 10500 FT MSL (BTWN 3500 FT AND 4000 FT AGL) SBOUND (HDG 200 DEGS) ALONG THE E SIDE OF THE SANDIA MOUNTAIN RANGE; APPROX 14 NM NE OF THE ALBUQUERQUE INTL ARPT; WHEN I HEARD A LOUD POP FROM THE ENG COMPARTMENT. THE PLANE IMMEDIATELY LOST PWR. I MAINTAINED A LEVEL FLT ATTITUDE AND BEGAN TO RUN THROUGH THE ACFT'S 'EMER RESTART PROCS.' UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENG; I ESTABLISHED THE ACFT'S 'BEST GLIDE SPD' AND CONTACTED ABQ APCH CTL ON FREQ 134.8. I DECLARED AN EMER AND TOLD ABQ APCH THAT I HAD LOST PWR AND WAS PREPARING TO MAKE AN EMER LNDG. ABQ APCH REQUESTED THAT I SQUAWK 7700; BUT BECAUSE OF THE MOUNTAINS THEY WERE UNABLE TO PICK ME UP ON RADAR (MY ALT WAS NOW APPROX 9000 FT MSL). AT APPROX THE SAME TIME; I ALSO LOST RADIO CONTACT WITH ABQ APCH AND BEGAN RELAYING MESSAGES THROUGH A MESA AIRLINE'S FLT INBOUND TO ABQ INTL. I GAVE THEM MY APPROX POS RELATIVE TO TIJERAS CANYON PASS (LOCATED 10 NM E OF ALBUQUERQUE INTL ARPT) AND INFORMED THEM THAT I HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO LOCATE A SUITABLE LNDG SITE; THE TERRAIN WAS VERY ROUGH AND THE ONLY AREAS NOT COVERED WITH ROCKS AND TREES WERE SCATTERED RESIDENTIAL AREAS. I ALSO INFORMED THE MESA ACFT THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE PASS (WBOUND; IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE IT TO ABQ) AND ASKED THEM TO TELL ABQ APCH THAT I WAS GOING TO REQUIRE EMER EQUIP; AND THAT I WAS APCHING INTERSTATE 40 (WHICH RUNS E/W) FROM THE N. BECAUSE OF THE HIGH VOLUME OF TFC ON I-40; AND WINDING NATURE THROUGH THE PASS; I THOUGHT THAT MY BEST CHANCE WAS TO PUT THE PLANE DOWN (W TO E AND WHEELS UP) ON THE ROUGH TERRAIN 1/4 MI TO THE S OF THE INTERSTATE AND HOPE THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE PLANE BEFORE IT CAUGHT FIRE. HOWEVER; APPROX 1/2 MI N OF I-40 (STILL MAINTAINING A S HEADING) I NOTICED THAT THE INTERSTATE BEGAN TO STRAIGHTEN TO THE E (FOR ABOUT 1 1/2 MI); AND THAT THERE ALSO WAS ABOUT A 1 MI GAP IN THE EBOUND TFC AT THAT POINT. AT THIS TIME I WAS AT APPROX 800 FT TO 1000 FT AGL WITH TERRAIN AROUND 7000 FT MSL. I LINED UP WITH THE INTERSTATE (NOW EBOUND; WITH THE TFC). I WAS STILL PREPARED TO BREAK OFF THE APCH AND PUT THE PLANE INTO A 30 FT DEEP GULLY PARALLELING THE INTERSTATE; RATHER THAN LNDG ON TOP OF ANY VEHICLES; BUT THE SPACING BTWN THE CARS AHEAD OF AND BEHIND MY LNDG POINT WAS GOOD AND WOULD ALLOW FOR ROUGHLY 1/2 MI SPACING BTWN MYSELF AND THE CARS BEHIND ME. I LOWERED THE LNDG GEAR; TURNED OFF THE BATTERY AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG -- PASSING UNDER AN OVERPASS AND PWR LINES DURING THE ROLLOUT (UPHILL). I THEN ALLOWED THE ACFT TO ROLL TO A GRADUAL STOP (NOT USING THE BRAKES) TO GIVE TFC BEHIND ME TIME TO SLOW. AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP; I TURNED THE BATTERY BACK ON AND REESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH THE MESA AIRLINE'S ACFT. I INFORMED THEM THAT I HAD LANDED ON THE EBOUND LANES OF I-40 AND THAT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT (OR ANY OTHER STRUCTURES) AND THAT THERE WERE NO INJURIES; BUT I WAS GOING TO REQUIRE ASSISTANCE FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL FOR TFC CTL -- WHICH THEY THEN RELAYED TO ABQ APCH. 2 BERNALILLO COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT DEPUTIES ARRIVED AT THE SCENE WITHIN 3 TO 4 MINS AND BEGAN DIRECTING TFC -- THERE WERE NO ACCIDENTS. THE ACFT WAS TOWED TO SANDIA AIR PARK FOR REPAIRS TO THE ENG THAT SAME DAY. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSE OF THE ENG FAILURE HAS SUGGESTED THAT THE CAM SHAFT GEARING BROKE. THERE WAS NO POSSIBLE WAY FOR ME TO ANTICIPATE; OR PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING; OR TO RESTART THE ENG ONCE IT OCCURRED.